I don't possess harps in the keys of B, C# (=Db), E or F# (or Low F#).
I'm thinking of buying a B. There's no musical need, but I love playing my Bb, and compared to it the C seems too high (obviously, practice is required), so I was curious about how a B would compare - would I love it like I love my Bb, I wonder, or would it just be on the way towards being a high harp?
What do you think? Do you do crazy things like that? Do you think that, if I only lack 4 keys, I might as well complete the set?
I think it's good to have all keys and Db is one of my favorite keys to play in. B is also a great sounding key and the F# is a challanging one to play as it is so high and you have to do things gently on it...getting a good 2 draw bend took a few weeks to master on it. But once I'd done it Hi-G wasn't do difficult to play either.
When I was over at Buddah's when Oldwailer was in town, I needed a B harp to play twelfth position along with that song we used as the backing track to the first HPC. Doing so lets you play in E, which is the same key as 2nd position on an A harp. That's a key you'll play in A LOT. My only B harp is a crappy Johnson that I fixed up a bit to make it play okay. I got that 12 key set of Johnson's because it was a cheap way of getting all those "other" key harps and seeing if I liked the sound of them. It was a good deal when I did it (this was four or five years ago, and at the time it was cheaper than ONE marine band. I'm not sure what it costs now), and also it gave me a whole slew of harps that NEEDED to be worked on, but that I didn't care if I messed them up. This has really helped me while learning all those neat-o customization techniques (gapping, embossing, etc) that you don;t really want to try out for the first time on your best harps. Also, I took most of the duplicates from that set (keys that I already owned in good harps) and use them to practices re-tuning to alternate tunings. That also gave me a really cheap way to see if I liked those alternate tunings. So, I guess what I'm saying is that you might consider taking this route before shelling out the big bucks on a harp you might never play... ---------- -------------- The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
B is not one you use often but I always say to guitarists when asked which Harps I have "Any Key you need!!" If I remember correctly I use my Db for "Room to Move" Now Eb is not one I use often and I think Ab is the only Lee Oskar still in my case.
Add On!!! I have been looking at 4th position for minor Blues and alot of those keys will come in handy. So I'll probably be working on a MB Ab next week
B is the last key I'm missing too. I picked up a Golden Melody in F#. I figured I wanted something pretty to play at the top of the scale. A lot of the cheap harps only come in the more popular key. I was going to add a cheap B but I'm not going to shell out a lot for a harp I'll almost never play. I've got a C# Tremolo (part of a Huang Musette C/C# set). I think before I get a B I'd be more interesting in trying something low tuned, a low C or a double low F!
I'm missing a bunch of non-recommended by Adam harps as well (what he recommends in the faqs section include: A, C, D, and F. Followed by G, B-flat, and E-flat. That's exactly the keys I got). I'm still learning and don't really play much with the F or E-flat I got, possibly because I don't know what blues songs they would go with.
I do hope to get all keys just because I want to be able to say what Bluzdude46 says, "Any Key you need!!". Speaking of which, let me know when you're ready to jam with me in 4th, lol!
---------- ~Ryan Pennsylvania - H.A.R.P. (Harmonica Association 'Round Philly)
By an interesting coincidence, I've just reached the page in David Morton's biography of DeFord Bailey where DeFord says that his favourite harp keys are G, A and B, so I just ordered a MB in B.
I looked at bluesband sets, but I don't use EBay, and the set I saw on Amazon duplicated every key I've got except for E, and I didn't want to spend £40 on harps I already had. I may do it one day, though.
I got achance to jam onstage with a band last night that was tuned down a half step a la Stevie Ray Vaughn. The Ab harp I got last week came in real handy.
For what it's worth, Musician's Friend is selling Hohner 150th anniversary harps for ~$20. Looks like an SP-20 comb only clear. The plates/reeds are MS series so maybe it is a glorified Big River. Key of C only I believe. I'll strat a new thread and ask our resident Hohner man Adam if that is the case.
My band plays some boogies in B and I play it in first position. Also, I found a really good, long (over 5 minutes!) slow blues guitar backing track in Ab. I use my F# in third position to practice third position slow blues to it and keep it subtle on the high harps since they are potentially shrill. We have a few tunes in C where I really wail on an F harp and it takes practice not to sound shrill. We also play an Elvis cover "mess of blues" in C where i prefer the low f harp to the normal one. I think you can probably find a use for any key you want if you can't resist having a full set (i don't). I only bought the F# because it was an MS hohner for dirt cheap and I wanted the parts to try and salvage another MS harp. It worked and the F# is playable, so now I play it too. Go figure.
